I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME

WHY I HAVE FOUND THAT I NEED AFRICA FAR FAR MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME........

This really pulled at my heart...

"When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. "I am needed here," I think. "They have so little, and I have so much.

" It's true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe.

But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in those same people. It's a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day.The images spilling out of my television showed circumstances that could seemingly only equal misery, and I was fooled. I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness.

The truth is, in Africa I find hearts full of victory, indomitable spirits. In places where despair should thrive, instead I find adults dancing and singing, and children playing soccer with a ball crafted of tied up trash. Instead of payback, I find grace. Here, weekend getaways are not options to provide relief from the pains of daily life.

Relationships and faith provide joy. Love is sovereign.My new reality… I know now that my joy should have no regard for my circumstances. I'm ashamed of the little faith that I have, but at the very same moment I am excited by my new pursuit. I'm forced to redefine the meaning of having much or having little.

I'm uneasy with the prospect of change and of letting go, but just the thought of freedom is liberating. I want what I have learned to trickle down from my head into my heart - I no longer want to need the "next thing" to have joy.I'm not saying that Africa does not need our efforts. It absolutely does need our partnership.

But for me, I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME.
Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart.

I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need.

This continent has many lessons for us to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me."

Those wishing to help raise awareness of the joy and hope that exists among the African people can visit the Mocha Club’s website http://www.mochaclub.org/ to purchase T-shirts with the phrase “I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me.” Shirts are also available to those who join Mocha Club by pledging $7 each month, or the cost of two mochas, according to campaign organizers.

Proceeds will go to the Mocha Club project of the donor’s choice, including orphan care, job creation, HIV/AIDS relief, education improvement, aid to child mothers, and Sudan regrowth.

According to the international outreach organization, $7 in Africa will feed one person for a month, educate two children for one school term, save one person’s life from malaria, or provide clean water to seven Africans for one year.

Formed in 2005, Mocha Club is a division of African Leadership, a pastor-training organization based in Nashville that is accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability